Childhood
by PenTheHeart
Summary: 101 Prompt Challenge Part V. Cat/Robbie. /"Because you've got me," she smiled softly, leaning over and kissing him on a salt stained cheek./


**101 Prompts Challenge**

**So I've never written for this ship before, actually I didn't even know I liked this ship so much until Robbie sung to Cat. So this is dipping my foot in the ocean, with an AU. It got sadder at the end than I originally planned. **

**They get older a year each little paragraph thing xx**

_**5. Childhood**_

_**Ship: Cabbie- Cat and Robbie**_

"Will you come back here," her mother ordered, picking up the hairbrush and the two pink bands from the kitchen top and running after the giggly three-year old.

"No Mummy, the hairbrush hurts me," the little girl pouted, disappearing in a flash of chocolate waves around the kitchen counter.

"Caterina, I will try and do it softly, but if you'd let me brush it in the first place it wouldn't get so tangled," her mother sighed, smiling as the little girl creeped back into the kitchen to watch her mother from afar.

"Promise?" she questioned, her large coffee eyes wide in an intense stare at her mother.

"Promise, but you have to promise to sit down like a good little girl and not jiggle around like a circus clown."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the little girl asked incredulously, throwing her hands up in the air for a more dramatic effect.

"Not this again Kitty, come on and sit down," her mother pleaded, patting the counter-top.

"You won't let the hairbrush eat me?" she asked, making sure that there would be no risk of this evil instrument doing any more danger to her.

"I won't let the hairbrush eat you," her mother promised, choosing not to argue with the toddler.

After about twenty minutes and only one tantrum the younger girls hair was tied in two bunches and she was ready for her play-date with the boy next door.

/\/\/\/\/\

"I bet I can go higher than you," Cat squealed happily, her swing tilting slightly before flying backwards carrying the four year old through the air as she kicked her legs trying to force the swing higher.

"You had a head start, it's not fair," the four and nine-month year old boy stated, pushing his big-boy glasses up his nose before kicking off the ground, making the swing move a few inches backwards before closing forwards.

"I'm a girl Robbie, ladies first remember," Cat giggled, her red sandals so high in the air Robbie couldn't see them.

"Help me get started then," Robbie reasoned, his small Toy-Story trainers pushing off the ground again in a desperate effort to get anywhere near the height his best friend was at.

"Go back really, really far then jump onto the swing," Cat instructed, looking down at Robbie as she swung forward.

"Are you sure?" Robbie asked nervously, beginning to walk back with the swing on his back.

"Really, really sure," Cat nodded.

Robbie took a breath and closed his eyes, using his hands to lift himself onto the swing seat as it flew through the air. Before he had time to realise what he had done his best friends cheer rang through the neighbourhood.

/\/\/\/\

"We're going to school!" Cat squealed, wrapping her little arms around Robbie.

"Yeah," Robbie said rather nervously, not sharing her enthusiasm.

"What's wrong?" Cat questioned, fixing her strap of her brand new pink backpack.

"Rex is at school, he said I was a know it all and the kids at school don't like know it alls," Robbie frowned.

"Don't listen to him; he's just your silly older brother. He's always mean to you and my Daddy said you shouldn't listen to people who are mean to you," Cat smiled, taking Robbie's hand as a childish way of telling him everything was going to be alright.

"Can you believe we're five?" Cat asked after a moment of calming silence.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Boys don't play with dolls Cat," Robbie stated, sitting on her bed as she pulled out her favourite doll set.

"But you always play with me," Cat whimpered on the verge of tears.

"That was when I was little, we're grown up now, I'm six and big boys don't play with dolls, they play with footballs and skateboards," Robbie explained.

"But I don't like footballs and skateboards," Cat sniffed.

"You don't play with footballs and skateboards, you're a girl. You play with dolls and have tea parties," Robbie informed.

"So how do we play together?" Cat asked confused.

"Well, boys and girls aren't supposed to play together," Robbie stated rather sadly.

"But I like playing together," Cat wept, "I don't want to not play with you."

"I like playing too but we can't play together," Robbie explained.

"That's not fair," Cat pouted.

"I suppose I could play dollies with you if you promise not to tell?" Robbie smiled, not wanting to see his best friend cry.

/\/\/\/\

The music was loud to their small ears but dressed in their best clothes the two of them danced the whole disco together, only stopping when the teachers brought out some snacks and juice for them to have.

"You're very pretty Cat," Robbie smiled, awkwardly twirling round and round while trying to watch her as she did what he guessed was Ballet to the music.

She giggled and stopped dancing.

"You're so gross Robbie," she laughed.

/\/\/\/\

"Rex and Dad got into a fight last night," Robbie said sadly, hanging his head to look at his polished school shoes.

"Another one?" Cat questioned, for the last two weeks all it seemed to be was that Rex and Robbie's Daddy, Mr Shapiro were fighting.

"Rex is at the big school now, Dad says it makes him think he's better than everyone else and that he's all grown up now so he doesn't have to listen to Mama and Dad anymore," Robbie explained.

"You always have to listen to your Mummy and Daddy," Cat told him, fingering the braid in her hair.

"That's what Mama told him but he didn't listen, he ended up running away," Robbie sighed.

"Where did he go?" Cat asked.

"He crossed a road and went over to his friend's house," Robbie said shocked.

"He crossed a road?" Cat asked, both of them knew better than to go anywhere near the roads, never mind do such a thing as to cross it.

"He's big enough to do it now Mama said," Robbie assured her.

"He's in big, big trouble isn't he?" Cat questioned, remembering all the times when she would run away from getting her hair brushed and all the trouble she got into then.

"Big, big trouble," Robbie nodded.

/\/\/\/\/\/

"My brothers coming home for my ninth birthday!" Cat smiled, "the doctors in white coats said he'd been good!"

"Do you have to keep your bracelets away from him again?" Robbie asked.

"Mum's putting them up in her cupboard but we bought some 'Funky Nut Blast' for him to eat," Cat explained.

"Darn, I love 'Funky Nut Blast' but when your brothers in town there's never any left in the shops."

"He really likes it," Cat giggled.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Thanks for letting me stay Mrs Valentine," Robbie smiled politely, carrying his overnight bag up to Cat's room where she sat waiting.

"Our first sleepover, this is so exciting!" Cat squealed, clutching her pink pillow tightly to her chest as Robbie came into the room.

"It's only because Mama and Dad have to go to the city so they can get Rex out of Prison," Robbie reminded, dropping his bag in the corner of the room and sitting next to her on the bed.

"Clarabelle laughed at us for having a sleepover," Cat explained, "She says it was bad."

"Don't listen to her; she's the one who calls us 'boyfriend and girlfriend.'" Robbie stated.

"She's so childish," Cat said rolling her eyes.

"So what should we do first then?" Robbie asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Mum got us some movies to watch and some snacks for later, she said we could make cupcakes now if you wanted?" Cat suggested.

"Red Velvet?" Robbie questioned.

"My favourite!" Cat laughed.

/\/\/\/\/\

"I love going to your house for tea," Cat smiled, happily walking beside Robbie as they walked from the bus station to Robbie's house.

"I love you coming to tea," Robbie grinned, pulling his key from his pocket as they walked down the drive to his bright green door.

He quickly unlocked the door and led Cat into the house, stopping by the kitchen to see if they could rescue a few snacks before his parents came home.

"Robbie," his mother began, sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. Usually she looked so warm and inviting but today she looked exhausted and like she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and her skin was blotchy, her usually long, flowing black hair was up in a bun and she was in old jeans and a cardigan rather than her beautiful dresses that Cat loved.

"What?" Robbie asked, panicked at his mother being home so soon and looking like she did.

"Rex passed away in prison last night," she stated sadly, holding back the tears as she watched her sons smile disappear.

"No," he yelled, "No, no, no."

Cat looked over at her best friend as he fought off tears as he yelled the same word over and over.

"Robbie," Mrs Shapiro attempted to calm her son.

"No, you're lying," Robbie yelled, running away and up the wooden steps.

Cat looked as he left, turning to face Mrs Shapiro.

"I'm so sorry," she said silently, running upstairs in her purple sandals.

"Robbie?" she asked, knocking on his room door.

"Leave me alone," he sniffed.

Cat slowly opened the door and crept in.

"Robbie?"

"Cat, please don't stay," he wept, rubbing his eyes as his glasses lay on the blue bed sheets.

"Robbie, please." She began, sitting down next to him and placing a hand over his.

"He's dead Cat, he's gone," Robbie sniffed.

"I know, it's all going to be alright though," Cat promised.

"How?" Robbie questioned.

"Because you've got me," she smiled softly, leaning over and kissing him on a salt stained cheek.


End file.
